Inquiry One
Inquiry
I realize I've lived my whole life without really defining what things mean to me. I want to make these definitions only from what I know to be true. At this moment, it's absolutely clear that the past is a concept, and nothing that can be proven to my satisfaction. Therefore, my definitions have to stand on their own in the present moment.
This is a fun idea, and I'm enjoying the effort.
These inquiries take the form of a dialog. They start with the attempt to define a concept. If I'm lucky, they manage to define it. If not, well, they manage to define many other concepts along the way to my satisfaction. Here, I'm trying to understand fatherhood, I guess because I'm a dad and it would be a good thing to know what that means to me. I got to a certain point, and energy flagged. So I'll leave it here, and return.
The picture is of my boys descending to the Tegernseerhütte from the Buchstein summit. It's quite steep! But they were pretty casual.
What does it mean to be a father?
Responsibility is the first concept here.
What is that?
Responsibility is a promise to bring what happens back to the Self. To transform the Self in whatever way is necessary in order to honor that promise.
Does responsibility end? In time?
You ask because you look forward to an end, no? [hint - I have teenagers!] This tell us that the promise has weight. That it seems to harm Freedom.
What is Freedom?
Freedom is the marriage of Power and Possibility. Responsibility seems to diminish both. Is this true?
What is Power?
Power is Knowledge, deep Knowledge in conjunction with the skillful application of that Knowledge to transform lived experience.
Okay. What is Possibility?
Possibility is the sense of Choice arising from formerly undifferentiated terrain. It offers us a chance to discover who we are by the choices we make.
What is Hope?
Hope is the expectation that where possibility arises and choice occurs, we will make the choice that contributes most to our personal growth.
What is Choice?
Choice is a decision to alter our Belief Structure to support one way of seeing the world over another. A Choice may not be consciously made, but it should be. We should examine the elements of our Belief Structures for evidence of unconsciously made choices. We might no longer agree with those choices.
What is a belief?
A belief is a cherished idea that has become part of our "main loop" of consciousness. It shapes the input we see, our subjective feelings about it, and our sense of possibilities for response. Beliefs are powerful tools which can aid or hinder our personal growth. An unfortunate belief is one which hides reality. A fortunate belief illuminates it, increasing possibility and therefore personal growth.
Knowing that beliefs are so powerful, it only makes sense to cultivate a way of seeing naked reality apart from all frames.
Reality has nothing to do with beliefs about it. Those are only present in the Minds of observers.
What is a belief structure?
An interlocking series of beliefs, whose intersection gives rise to emergent, synthetic beliefs. The structure is durable and resilient to shocks. It may be robust, that is, capable of subtle adjustment in line with feedback, or merely calcified and no longer capable of change. At such a point it makes sense for the consciousness to experience Death.
The structure is complex enough that it can feed on and grow from Thought produced entirely from its own operation. This is a dangerous dead-end we should label Insanity. Given enough Attention, the feedback loops of this unfortunate state can be recognized, but the loop period may be long and complex.
Speaking off-the-cuff, I imagine the UNIX philosophy is a good guide here: the lightest possible structure should be preferred, with beliefs only loosely coupled to each other, like simple yet multipurpose tools.
You've drifed far from Responsibility, which you invoked to explain Fatherhood. Can you say more now?
Responsibility is the promise to stay sane and move towards beliefs that correspond well enough with reality to avoid calcification and thus death. It is a promise made to another being to remain, observe and accompany that being through sufficient transformations of consciousness, that the being is able to subsume the role played by the responsible one. The promise is independent of time, measured only in transformations.
What is death then, smarty pants?
It is a positive response to a state of exhausted possibilities. To an inability to further transform consciousness. It is time to start fresh from new premises. The word is only totemic and much feared because we confuse the contents of consciousness with Being itself. The end of "us" is only to be feared if we believe in Future as real. Without a belief in Future, there is no need to dread a lack of further present moments, because there is no basis on which to expect a moment beyond this one.
Good night, nurse!
Thanks for listening to this music...